I am so, so pleased to share this inspiring blog post from my new pal and colleague, Kate Bartolotta from beyoumediagroup. There are many similarities in the messages we share with our respective work, and I'm thrilled to provide her words today to inspire you on your path toward transformation.

“Words and magic were in the beginning one and the same thing, and even today words retain much of their magical power.” ~ Sigmund Freud

Much has been written on manifesting what we want in our lives, but we forget that 99% of that is incredibly simple. We realize we are thirsty, so we get a glass of water. We want to do something, so we get in our cars and go. The lag time between most of what we desire and achieving it is so effortless, that we forget about it, and we imbue the ideas of larger manifestations with some mystical qualities.

There are magic words you need to use to move forward in life. Chances are you are already using them, but if you aren’t careful, they might be getting you more of what you don’t want.

I want.

We talk about things that we think we need, but there is a difference between this and acknowledging what we want. Acknowledging desire is noticing that there is a gap between what’s currently going on and what we wish would happen. It’s an easy habit to cap off our wants with a “but.” “I want this, but it’s too hard, unattainable, might mean I have to change something, etc.” What if instead we looked around at the present moment and gave thanks for the things that spark that desire? What if we looked at things that draw our gaze, and instead of feeling unsatisfied, said, “Aha, there’s what I want. That’s what I want more of in my life.” All of those simple things we attain began with the moment where we noticed our desire. Notice what you want. Acknowledge it. It isn’t magical thinking to recognize that putting our intentions into words and making them clear is a necessary precursor to making them happen.

I will.

This is the first step out of the liminal space. This is taking an idea from intention to action. It’s too easy to hedge our bets and say, “Well, I might do this,” or “I could do that.” Our lives are a grand, ongoing experiment, and success is not some linear path with well-lit signposts along the way. We must make those choices and step into our own unknown territory if we’re going to get anywhere wonderful. We must decide, and in doing so leave behind those other options. We must unwaiveringly say “I will” to the things we want to accomplish, because that statement is the first step towards doing them.

I am.

When you say “I am,” every cell in your body leans in to listen to what comes next and prepares to reflect that statement. Far too many of us internalize someone else’s ideas of who we are, and speak it over and over again until we live it like it’ s gospel truth. The single most important creative act you will ever undertake is taking charge of your own identity, and ultimately, your destiny. Every day, we are faced with a choice. We get to choose whether to be defined by external messages, old baggage and false ideas about ourselves, or whether to listen to the voice in that still place inside and acknowledge it as truth.

Choose what follows those two words wisely; they are your compass.

(While all of this we must define and decide for ourselves, there is one more thing I know is true: the best gift we can give is to honor and validate these things for each other. Compliments and encouragement are wonderful, but it’s a far better thing to listen to someone as they tell you what they want, what they’ve chosen to do and who they are, and say, “yes, you are.”)

This post was originally published at beyoumediagroup.com and was reprinted with the author's permission.